Daughters of Nicnevin

Kinsella (The Heart of Winter) sets this uneasy combination of sapphic romance and supernatural Highland folklore against the decisive 1746 defeat of the Jacobite Uprising at Colloden. Compassionate witch Mairead escapes a sadistic father and makes her way through the world secretly using her magical talents to ease the lives and deaths of ordinary folk—until an occult call leads her to Kilmartin. There, she meets Constance, whose husband, Iain, has left to join the uprising. Constance has always suppressed her own witchy powers, but the village suffers with its men gone, spurring her and Mairead to reveal their magic. They call on Nicnevin, the fae Queen of Witches, to help them create men made of mud for their farming and defense from raiders. Along the way, Mairead and Constance fall in love, but Constance’s pride leads her to misuse her talents, threatening their budding relationship. The moody atmospherics are impressive and vibrant local color adds some fun, but the women’s fitful romance never entirely gels with the supernatural wartime plot, creating a rocky reading experience, and it strains credulity how readily their fellow villagers accept the heroines’ witchy ways. There are some good ideas here, but the execution is lacking. (Nov.)